'.
IIE\LTII
"TIle Judiciary Committee mem
bers would let people be killed first,
and authorize tudy group to deter
mine whether or not they ought to
e , MHC ch r e ,
euthan i dvocate h ve tried to
d troy children too young to expre
de ire to die, when th American
Medical iation ued to overturn
feder I civil right regulation
protecting infants wi th handicap
from di criminatory neglect.
MHC ch rge that thi "Death
Lobb" repre nts a danger not only to
I 10
y
By ANDY HALLDORSON
C.pltal N.w. SMVI". " WHO' S REA LL Y
PROTECTING the little guy? - I
LANSING-Medical lobbyists are don't think anybody i in the pre ent
optimistic that reforms to limit sy tem," she said. "It's very hard in
liability awards and reduce insurance some inner, city and rural areas to find
costs for Michigan doctors by up to bone peciali t or an ob tetrician be-
20 percent-and patients bills by ex- cause of medical liability.. "
tension - finally will see daylight in Studie cited by the Michigan
the next Legislature. Hospital ociation reported that
Blaming the House for waylaying Michigan doctors and hospitals pay
reforms last term, they say the depar- nearly $500 million a year for in-
ture of Michigan Trial Lawyers As- urance, three times higher than the
sociation (MTLA) allies House national state average.
"\ peak �w ,P®Ilk, D-Mpn1tO.$e, ... 4 The averase ,ins\ARlJlce cos for
aAd }iouse Judiciary Cbairm try special! t uch obstetricians or
Bullard, D-Ann Arbor, will open the neurosuseons range from $40,00 to
door to limiting liability awards. $65,000 a year, and from about
But MTLA spoke man Gary $70,000 to $100,000 in the high-risk
Fralick warned it wa all- part of metro-Detroit area, said Brain
lawyer-bashing politics, and that big Hodge, spokesman for Michigan
businesses and insurance companies Physicians Mutual Liability Co., the
may "run rough-shod over Ii ttle state's largest insurer of physicians.
people." Hodge said Michigan's liability
"We focus on personal respon- climate was among the top three or
sibility ... whether it's a corporation's four worst in the nation.
responsibility to produce safe "Physicians in Michigan pay more
products, or a physician's ability to for less coverage," he said "We're,
provide safe care," Fralick said. definitely not like other states."
"Anytime you reduce respon-
sibility ... then people are going to get
hurt."
ESCAPING FROM 'AN ABUSIVE
RELA TIONSHIP ..
If you often feel helple s,
r trieted, unsure of yourself, and
alone, take a closer look at your
home life:
-Does your partner criticize you fre
quently about your clothes, your
weiaht, or the way you do things
around the house?
-Are you often discour ed from
making phone calls or. plannin
activities with friend out ide the
home?
-00 you find youndf keepina
geCrds from your partner, because
you are afraid of the consequences?
- Do you feel coerced into acting i
ways that you normally would not
ct? .
-Are you ever pu hed, hit, choked.
thrown down, or threatened with a
weapon?
If these circum tanc sound
familiar to you, chances are, you
are involved in an unhealthy and
abu ive relation hip. Although your
world may seem isolated and
hope , you arc not alone.
Millions of Qther women are trug
glina with imilar difficulti . And
many women have found the
cour e and upport to escape to a
new and rewardina life.
There i certainly a brighter and
more fulftllin life for you, if you
want it. The key to making a change
is facing the problem and seekin
upport. For the hort-term, find
someone in whom you can con
fide-a friend, a rdative, a doctpr,
a nurse, or a cler member. Ar
ranae to contact him or her if you
are in dan er. Try to set ide
money and important documents in
case you need to make a quick exit.
Learn to recognize the sians of trou
ble and leave before a violent
episode occur. If you need im
mediate help, call the police or the
National Domestic Violence
Hotline: 1-800-432-9777.
Figuring out a Ion -term solution
is not easy. You may have confusina
feelilllS of love and loyalty toward
your partner while knowing inside
you that the relationship is threaten
ing your well-being. YDU may be
frightened to break off on your
own, especia1Jy if you have children
or have been tinancially dependent
on your partner.
Seek advice from those close to
you in whom you have confided.
Counseling also can help you im
prove your lf-im e and give you
a po itive outlook on life. No one
can determine what is best for you,
but by discu in possible options
and �ng your itualion from
others' points of view, you are likely
to di over your If what is the best
course of ction.
Not everyone need to or wants
to escape from a troubling relation-
hip. Somctim difficulties can be
worked out. But if you feel tbat
your current ituation i hopeless or
dan erou , you owe it to your If to
try a De tart.
Nat w«k: Condoms For Womm
FEIDLER SAID aid she expects
. new reform bills to be identical to two
bill that passed the Senate last year
before the movement met its doom in
the House Senate Bills 248 and 249
include:
- A limit of $225,000 on non
economic damages, such as pain and
suffering.
- A limit of $1.5 million for
economic damages, such as medical
costs and lost income.
- Provisions to speed up lengthy
and expensive court process.
-Tigh nedlan to limit ex-
ceptions to .,w .. "" -_ .....
- A "sliding r attorney When you suffer with 8 or bronchial distress keeps
fees, meaning that percentage an at- maddening, embarrassing, you from getting the rest and
torney is allowed ·to charge would hacking cough you want im- sleep you need at night
decline as the award increase. mediate relief ... you need Today's BuCkley's Mixture is
mor than an ordinary cough still made with- .SIJ
Fralick argued that limits are not medicine. out sugar or al-
necessary, because "award are cer- You need Buckley's Mix- cohol. If you'd
tainlynotoutofline." HecitedaSlO tur ,th extra-strong, all- like to try
million award given' to cover the weather cough stopper with Buckley's Mix-
medical costs of an injured Michigan nalur,l ingredients like ture, we'll send
citizen who needs 24-hour care for a Canada Balsam, Pine it to you right
lifetime. Needle Oil and Menthol. away.
"They talk about awards like that That's why pharmacist, TO ORDER, mail check or
being a kind of lottery, but no one W. K. Buckley, created money order for $6.95 for
would want to change places with Buckley's Mixture over 70 one 8 oz. bottle or $12.90
that family. It's not a lottery that years ago. (saves $1.00) for two 8 oz.
Once you taste it, you will bottles to'
anyone would want te win:' he said. .
know it's strong and effec-
Experts agree that award limits . d Horizon Marketing
tive -, Use only as dlrecte '
will reduce the costs of health care or Stock up now ... so you're 1 Anderson Ave., Dept,
at least cut future increases. But their ready when a hacking cough MA92
Moonachie. NJ 07074
e�ctonhe�th<areq�lity�hotly �������������������������
disputed.
Dr. Gerald Musgrave, a medical
economist and president of
Economics American Inc. in Ann
Arbor, said patients would be les
assured that doctors "take out the
bade kidney and leave in the good
one."
tho e which handic p , but r cial
minoriti well.
Seig 1 cit an rticle by doctors
the Univ ity of Okl hom He Ith
re ervi publi hed in the org n
of the American Academy of
Pedi tri j tifying letting b bie
ith handle p die, rguing that
America hould b ndon the idea that
human life i red and dopt a "new
ethic," based on the"q lity of life."
"I TH D Y of lavery,
Afri n Am ricans were considered
inferior quality lives and the law
defined a I ve three fifths of a
pe on." h aid.
MHC al 0 argued that leade in
the medical profe ion are endorsing
as i ted uicide 8 a way to ve
money on ervic for patients, argu
m nts that can be used against poor
people and minorities well.
Seigel id that although judges
and [urie have allowed a i ted
•
I
YOU GET WHAT you pay for,"
he said.
Others counter that health care
will be better overall because lower
costs mean more people will have
access to the system.
H L
TALK
'Boning up on
buying fish"
ell, e natly made itl
If you've hung in there
through the previo rticle
about fi h, I lly ta my
hat off to you. You m t
really love e food. So,
without further tip for
buying, toring, and properly
cooking fish and hellO h.
- Buy only hen h i
refrigerated or di played on
thick layers of lee. Sew re
of stacked rule or hole
fish, since the top 1 yer may
not be cold enough. ,
100 out for h displayed
underhotligh •
- Let your nose be your
g\1ide. Fresh fi h hould
have a clean. pleasant odor
that' reminds you of the
ocean. Fresh fi h should
never mell "fishy," sour, or
like ammonia. A bad mell
is a sure shiny and hould
feel slightly prlngy to the
touch.
- Be cautio about pre
wrapped fish in the super
market. It may not be fresh
and since you can't smell it
there' no way to tell until
you've already bought it and
taken it home. So, at least
askwben It was packaged.'
- Avoid fish fillets that
look bruised or brown.
- When buying cooked
shellfish, remember that
some dealers cook shellfish
only when it's about to spoil.
11. Q,' sure y _. cooked
boDfish fully
use them the day you buy .
them. If you're serving them
as part of a buffet that may
last several hours, keep them
well iced.
- Except for shrimp, all'
raw shellfi h should be alive
when you buy in. This is
because almost all shrimp
has been frozen and thawed
before you buy it, which is
okay t but you should use it as
soon after purchase as pos
sible.
- Beware of seafood
salads or any cooked seafood
displayed right next to raw
flSh. Bacteria from the raw
fish can contaminate cooked
seafood when kept nearby it.
- Make fish your last
purchase before going home.
When you go shopping,
don't walk around i� the su
permarket with nsh in your
cart while you shop for other
foods. That gives your fish
more time to grow bacteria.
When you do get home, im
mediately store your fish in a
cold part of the refrigerator ,
(32 to 39 degrees Fahrenhei t.
AI 0, cook and eat it the
sameornextday,ifpo sible.
- Keep mussels, clams,
and oysters well aerated in
the refrigerator so that they
remain alive. Don't store
them in a closed plastic bag
and don't drown them in
fresh water; they'll die. If
the shell i not tightly closed,
or if a few taps doesn't cause
it to close, throw it out. Raw
hellfish that remain open
are dead and may have
started to decompose. Also,
tbose that fail to open when
teamed are probably dead
and should be discarded.
- Store frozen raw fi h
at 0 degree Fahrenheit.
Thaw it in the refrigerator
rather than at room tempera
ture. Finally, CQOk and eat it
as soon as po sible after
thawing.
That' it. See you next
week with, beleive it or not,
a totally new and different
topiC.
uicide, they h ve not et up ny leg I
criteri e urin p tient co nted
to being killed.
Thi ,he aid, i particul rly
d ngerous, of tatemen by
Dr. Jack Kevor i n earlier thi
month, urging . ted uicide be al-
10 ed not only for patten doomed
to die or th e in evere pain, but
quadriplegics in wheel chai .
king individ ,Dior
citizen up ,church ,bloc clu
nd civil righ org nizatio to ri
to th ir tate repre n tive and nd
copy to the next Democratic
leader Curti Hertel, urgin a di -
charge petition on S.32, 0 it can
co idered thi e ion.
Th fi t d' trier Democra unan
imo ly upported Seigel' pI n for
the market of the comm ion e tab
I' hed to tudy this i ue. Sei el '(1
in order to ensure that"g root
people who re mo t affected" re th
commi ion hould be niorcitizens
in enior organizations, the other
quarter hould be tho e with hand
icaps in handicapper righ organiza
tions.
African Americans would be rep
resented according to their propor
tion of the t te population nd
among' the leg I experts would be
repre entative of civil righ or
ganizations like the NAACP.
TIl tate house
to p S.32, a bill banning
uicide, at lea t until afeguar can
be agreed upon protecting p tien
from being ldlled gainst their will.
In keeping bill like S.32 from tbe full
hou e , MHC accu ed Hou e
Judiciary Committee leader of
"u ing fillibu ter t ctic , which
would m ke the old outhern
Dixiecrats proud. "
r
•
I
y
Lawrence Reed, president of the
Macldnac Center For Public Policy,
said the reforms would be for the
greater good of nearly everyone -
trial lawyers excluded.
Reed said the chance the reforms
will become law are "probably better
than ever."
"The trail lawyer's influence may
be waning a bit as people become
more informed," he said. "(people)
re paying a bill for exce stve
litigiousnes and award. They
ought to be concerned because they
are picking up the tab for this."
Canadian Pharmacist Develops:
DR. RONALD A. WHITE, P.C.
Oentl try For Adults & Children
17701 W.McNichols
(2Blocks East o/South{u!ld Freeway)
Detrolt, Mic�igan
Hours By Appointment
(313) 533-6500
OOTP
OB-LEMS?
DR. N.A. IGBOKWE
PODIATRIST - FOOT AND ANKLE SPECIALIST
15885 WOODWARD
HIGHLAND PARK, MI
865-2800 - 867-4002
OFFICES LOCATED INSIDE THE PARK MEDICAL CENTERS
Medicaid - Blue Cross - Medicare - Most Insurance Plans Accepted
WE CARE
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DETROIT, MI 48204
491-3100
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8282 WOODWARD AVENUE
DETROIT, MI 48204
874-3440
WEEKENDS • EVENINGS. EMERGENCIES. HOUSE CALLS
.. .